Power-transmitting mechanism.



No. 797,383. 7 PATENTED AUG.15,1905. T. L. & T. J. STURTEVANT.

POWER TRANSMITTING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED D130. 10, 1904:.

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TlTHOh IAS LEGGETT STURTEVANTIT, O1 QUINCY, AND THOMAS JUEEEPH STURTEVANfl, OF VVElJlJESllEY, MASSAUIIUE'BETIT'IS, ASSIGNOHES TO idTlURTEVANTl. MlLL COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, IVIAlNE, A CORPORA- TllON OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1.5, 1905.

To (b/J, 1071,0171, it In/my concern:

lie it known that weflkionas Lneen'rtr STUR- 'rnvan'r, residing at Quincy, and THOMAS J osnrni Siroirrnvautr, residing at Vi ellesley, in the county of Norfolk and State of llflassachrn setts, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Powar-Transmitting lvlechanisms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a variable-speed mechanism by which power may be trans mitted from a motor or driving part to a shaft or part to be driven and in which the changes from low speed to high speed, and vice versa, of the driven shaft or part will be automatically effected, so that if the resistance or load on the driven part be increased beyond a certain predetermined point relative to the speed of rotation of the driving-shaft or the power of the motor when the driven part is running at high speed a change from high speed to low speed of the driven part will be automatically elfected and when the resistance of the driven part is below a certain predetermined limit relative to the speed of rotation of the driving part or power of the motor a change from low speed to high speed of the driven part will likewise be automatically effected. The present invention is therefore similar in operation to the power-transmitting mechanism covered by our United States Patent No. 766,551, granted August 2, 190a, and has for its object to provide a somewhat simpler and for some purposes a more efliciel'lt mechanism than that of our said patent for accomplishing similar results.

111 the present improved power-transmitting mechanism the low-speed train of gearing is preferal'ily directly or positively connected with the driving part without the intervention of a clutch device and the highspeed operation of the driven part or shaft is preferably effected through a centrifugallycontrolled clutch device by which when the load or resistance permits or when suflicient power is received from the motor or driving part power is transmitted from the driving to the driven part.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a mechanism embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, looking from the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa detail section of the same on line 2) 3, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows adjacent to said line.

Referring to the drawings, 12 denotes a portion of a motor or power-shaft having a flange 13 bolted to a similar flange 14- on the hub of a .liy-whecl or casing15, having a rig idly-attached cover-plate 16, secured to or integral with which is an exteriorly-squared sleeve 17. On the sleeve 17 is mounted a gear-wheel 18, provided with a grooved sleeve 19, adapted to slide endwise on the sleeve 17 (which is loose on the shaft 26) to permit the gear-wheel 18 to be engaged with either of the gears 20 or 21, fast on or connected with the driven shaft 22, which may be directly utilized for driving an automobile, boat, or for other purposes, or may be provided with a pulley 23 for transmitting power for any desired purpose. T he gears 20 and 21 will each prefcrabl y be connected with the shaft 22 through the medium of a silent ratchet or grip device, such as that shown and described in our Patent No. 766,551, hereinbefore mentioned, and comprising spring-prcssed friction grip rollers 24, interposed between a hub 25, fast on said shaft, and a ring-gear 20 or 21, as the case may be, these silent ratchet or grip devices being reversely arranged in the two gearwheels, so that one may be utilized for the forward drive of the motor or pmver-shaft 12 and the other for the reverse motion of said shaft or of the driving-motor, the sliding gear-wheel 18 being shifted to proper position in each instance, as by a shifting-arm 3), for the forward or the reverse drive, and these silent ratchet or grip devices being adapted to permit the low-speed gear-wheels or gearrings 20 and 21 to overrun, and thus be nonoperative when the highspeed clutch device hereinafter described is in operation.

Pinned to the high-speed shaft 26 is a clutch disk or plate 27, with which cooperates for the high-speed drive a second clutch disk or plate 28, having shoulders engaged by shoulders on centrifugal weights 29, pivotally mounted within the fly-wheel or casing 15 and normally held in their inner or inoperative positions by springs 30, interposed between parts of said disk or plate 28 and the casing or cover-plate 16 of the fly-wheel. The springs 30 are located adjacent to the inner wall of the peripheral portion of the casing of said fly-wheel, and the centrifugal weights 29 are located within the peripheries of the clutchdisks instead of being outside of the peripheries of the clutch-disks, as in the construction shown by our said Patent No. 766,551, and from this it results that the clutch-disks may be extended nearer to the periphery of the clutch fly-wheel than in our former construction, so as to have more purchase or leverage with a wheel of a given size or so as to permit the use of a smaller fly-wheel with an equal clutch-power. In fact, in the construction herein shown the clutch-disks may both extend close to the inner wall of the flywheel casing, excepting at those points where the springs 30 are located, as will be understood.

When the speed of the motor or driving part is suflicient to cause the centrifugal weights 29 to swing outward to overcome the stress of the springs 30, the clutch-disk 28 will be forced into frictional engagement with the clutch-disk 27, fast on the shaft 26, and thus the rotary movement of the motor or power-shaft and of the fly-wheel 15 will be imparted to said shaft 26 through the said friction clutch-disks, andithe motion of said shaft 26 will be transmitted to the driven shaft 22 through the high-speed gears 31 and 32, fast on the shafts 26 and 22, respectively. \Vhen the load on the driven shaft increases beyond or the speed or power of the drivingmotor decreases below certain predetermined limits as fixed by the stress or power of the springs 80 relative to the centrifugal action of the weights 29, the friction clutch-disks will be disengaged from each other by the stress of said springs, so that the low-speed driving-gear will automatically come into action and will continue until the stress of the springs 30 is again overcome by the increased speed of rotation of the fly-wheel 15. Thus changes from high speed to low speed, and vice Versa, of the driven part or shaft will be automatically and smoothly effected in that the clutch-disks inclosed within the fiy-wheel casing may run in oil, so that there may be more or less slip when the changes take place.

\Vhile the high-speed clutch device herein shown comprises only two clutch-disks, it will be understood that any desired number of clutch disks or rings may be employedfor example, such as shown in our said patentand the details of the invention may be otherwise varied without departing from the spirit or essence thereof, the particular construction or arrangement of the gearing and shafts herein shown and described not being essential to the practical embodiment of our invention. Also other forms of centrifugal clutches might be used instead of the disk or multipledisk clutch construction.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a driving shaft or part and a shaft or part to be driven, of a direct-drive gearing-train for operating the driven shaft or part at one speed and a centrifugally-controlled clutch device connected with said driven shaft or part for operating the latter at a different speed from that imparted by said direct-drive gearing-train.

2. The combination with a driving shaft or part and a shaft or part to be driven, of a direct-drive gearing-train for operating the driven shaft or part at one speed, a centrifugally-controlled clutch device connected with said driven shaft or part for operating the latter at a different speed from that imparted by said direct-drive gearing-train, and a flywheel or casing inclosing the members of said centrifugally-controlled clutch device.

3. In a power-transmitting mechanism, the combination with a driving shaft or part and a shaft or part to be driven, of a low-speed gearing connection between said shafts or parts, and a centrifugally-controlled clutch device by which a higher speed will be imparted to the said driven shaft or part when the driving shaft or part attains a certain predetermined speed of rotation.

4:. In a power-transmitting mechanism, the combination with a driving shaft or part and a shaft or part to be driven, of a low-speed gearing connection between said shafts or parts, a centrifugally-controlled clutch device by which a higher speed will be imparted to the said driven shaft or part when the driving shaft or part attains a certain predetermined speed of rotation, and a fly-wheel or casing inclosing the members of the said clutch device.

5. The combination with a driving shaft or part and a shaft or part to be driven, of a direct-drive mechanism for operating the driven shaft or part at one speed, and a centrifugallycontrolled clutch device, operatively connected with said driven shaft or part, for actuating the latter at a speed different from that imparted by said direct-drive mechanism.

6. The combination with a driving shaft or part and a shaft or part to be driven, of a direct-drive mechanism for operating the driven shaft or part at one speed, a centrifugallycontrolled clutch device operatively connected with said driven shaft or part for actuating the latter at a speed different from that imparted by said direct-drive mechanism, and a fly-wheel or casing inclosing the members of said centrifugally-controlled clutch device.

In testimony whereof we afiiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS LEGGETT STURTEVANT. THOMAS JOSEPH STUR-TEVANT. \Vitnesses XV. V. ELLIs, L. H. STURTEVANT. 

